Thomas Sankara Speaks: The Burkina Faso Revolution 1983–87

Under Sankara’s leadership, the revolutionary government of Burkina Faso in West Africa set an electrifying example. Peasants, workers, women, and youth mobilized to carry out literacy and immunization drives; to sink wells, plant trees, build dams, erect housing; to combat the oppression of women and transform exploitative relations on the land; to free themselves from the imperialist yoke and solidarize with others engaged in that fight internationally.

Second edition includes a preface by Mary-Alice Waters, a new introduction by editor Michel Prairie, maps, chronology, glossary, and index. Two extensive photo sections feature many unpublished photos of the Burkina Faso revolution.

“A fiery and colorful speaker…. There is real historical value and enduring inspiration in a close reading of many of these speeches.”—African Studies Review

“The originality of Sankara’s ideas … along with his awareness of the social and economic realities of his country, his understanding of the international relations of forces … make this collection a highly useful tool. Expressed with passion and clarity, his views on the necessity of a new balance between the city and the countryside, on the crucial importance of the emancipation of women … are in perfect keeping with the demands of the peoples of Africa today.”—Le Monde diplomatique

“Because escape routes from the death sentence of underdevelopment seem limited to many young Africans, one can well imagine that the thought of Thomas Sankara—with its call to rebel, to reject, to fight—perhaps points to a better future. This book will without doubt help lead to that conclusion.”—International Journal of African